The Edge of Time
Nyx stirred from her slumber and immediately resumed the exploration of Dreamland.
Goat-spawn sprouting from every corner of the plains.
I’d thought I’d thinned their numbers quite a bit over the past several hours, yet the moment I took a break they’d multiplied right back to their original count.
-This is utterly fruitless.
“Then we ignore them and keep moving.”
I unfolded the Wind Path.
Stepping on the currents that flowed across the plains, I rose into the sky.
At this considerable altitude, the bare, muscular monsters stared up at me.
“Looks like they’re worshipping their goddess.”
-How blasphemous. Merely hearing it sends shivers down my spine.
Well, that was true.
The word “worship” didn’t suit those goats with their long tongues lolling out at all.
The way they cocked their heads at unnatural angles only made them look more grotesque.
Some of them sprouted wings from their backs and took flight toward me.
Their flying skills were clumsy compared to a Nightgaunt’s.
“You think you can catch me with that?”
Since their magic resistance was high, sniping them from afar was impossible. I simply cut down the charging goat-spawn with the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts.
With no solid ground to stand on, the number of techniques I could deploy was limited.
“Meeeeehhh!”
But it was more than enough.
The instant I left the plains, a massive wall blocked my path.
The enormous passage that divided the western and southern regions of Dreamland—Time’s Edge.
-Could we not simply fly over it?
“This isn’t a physical wall.”
It was a space that severed all interaction between matter and mind.
A barrier created by a fragment of Yog-Sothoth’s power—the Outer God who embodied the very concept of “doors” in the outer cosmos.
I even activated my Leap skill and jumped as high as I could.
Yet the wall of the passage stretched upward in perfect sync with my jump, once again blocking my way.
-I see. So this is what it is.
“It was written about in the Necronomicon copy.”
I answered casually and stepped inside the passage.
A passage that twisted and turned at sharp angles.
The saving grace was that it wasn’t a maze with countless branching paths—it continued in only one direction.
If Time’s Edge had been a true labyrinth, I never would have entered in the first place.
-Still, it is strange. Why bend at right angles instead of gentle curves?
“Because this is where the Hounds of Tindalos live.”
-The Hounds of Tindalos?
“Yeah. Those things aren’t exactly gentlemen either.”
The moment the words left my mouth, a “creature” poked its head out from the corner of a right-angled bend in the passage.
A long tongue.
Blue eyes glowing with eerie light, a grotesquely protruding nose sniffing the air.
A monster with brown skin.
From head to tail it measured roughly ten meters, its hairless brown hide glistening strangely.
-What part of that deserves to be called a dog?!
Nyx sounded thoroughly disgusted.
“Grrrr! Woof!”
The Hound of Tindalos howled.
“Why’s it sounding so pitiful?”
-Just think about it! Even Cerberus, the hellhound, is not nearly this hideous!
“This is exactly why looks shouldn’t be everything.”
Tsk tsk. I clicked my tongue.
The fully revealed Hound of Tindalos opened its maw wide.
A massive mouth that took up a third of its long torso.
Rows of densely packed teeth reflected the passage’s dim light with a menacing gleam.
-Look at it! What part of that creature resembles a dog?
“It has an incredible sense of smell.”
-Smell?
“The scent of mana.”
The Hounds of Tindalos were monsters that dwelled in the cracks between space and time.
They could emerge from any sharp angle.
-So that is why the passage is shaped so oddly.
While we conversed calmly, the Hound of Tindalos flicked its tongue.
You have been designated as a target of Mana Devourer.
Stored mana is being expelled.
It is interfering with the user’s mana. Mana control is becoming difficult.
Blue particles leaked from my body.
My mana slipped beyond my control and was sucked straight into the Hound of Tindalos’s mouth.
“The Hounds of Tindalos are natural-born mage hunters.”
-Mage hunters?
“That skill can’t be blocked.”
They tracked prey by the scent of mana.
Once they locked onto a target, they stole its mana.
They could even interfere with mana control, making them the worst possible opponents for magic-based players.
-As unpleasant as its appearance, what a detestable creature.
“Its ability to slowly corner prey is so masterful that it earned the name ‘hound.’”
The Hound of Tindalos licked its lips.
My mana must have tasted quite good.
“Grrraaawr! Woof!”
It floated through the air and flew straight at me.
Its long tongue lashed like a whip.
Mana Burn.
If that tongue touched me, it would shave away my stored mana and shake my insides violently.
What a pain.
I manifested the power of Polar Night.
A spiraling spear of darkness erupted from the floor.
Thud!
The spear pierced straight through its tongue.
When the Hound of Tindalos thrashed, I wrapped the entire tongue in Polar Night and yanked it toward me.
“Stay home and guard the house. And stop barking.”
The Hound tried to close its mouth, but my fist was faster.
The moment my qi-coated fist collided with the Hound of Tindalos—
BOOOOM—!
—it burst like a balloon pumped full of too much air.
-It was nothing special.
“What are you talking about? Do you know how hard I had to work to hunt that thing?”
I frowned.
The Hounds of Tindalos were immune to physical laws.
On top of that, a single touch from that tongue caused internal injuries and mana loss.
Sniping them from range with magic was difficult because Mana Devourer made rearranging mana nearly impossible.
Materializing qi or wrapping myself in dark fighting spirit—
Even those would twist my insides the moment that tongue made contact. A single mistake would lead to serious damage.
-Hoh, this is the first time I’ve seen you so repulsed.
“If it weren’t for the investigation, I wouldn’t have come here at all.”
-Such weak words. This is unlike you.
Tch.
She really never cuts me any slack.
When I killed the Hound of Tindalos, the surface of the wall turned blue.
-It seems there is more than one.
“Have you ever seen a hound wandering around alone?”
More Hounds of Tindalos, drawn by the scent, revealed themselves.
This time there were five.
The amount of blue particles increased fivefold.
Thanks to the recovery ability of the Primordial Dragon Heart, I could replenish some of it.
“No point dragging this out.”
Muttering to myself, I activated the Dark Body.
These were monsters completely immune to physical attacks.
This was where the power of Polar Night would truly shine.
-I shall assist you.
“No. I’ll handle this place alone.”
-You were complaining it was too much earlier. Have you changed your mind?
“It’s a good place to train Polar Night.”
-Truly, you are so consistent.
The maximum Polar Night I could manifest at once was roughly 130 in stats.
Dark blades and spears formed in the air and on the ground, aiming at the pack of Hounds of Tindalos.
“Grrrrrr!”
The hounds twisted their bodies, dodging the power of Polar Night.
Some melted into the walls they had emerged from, escaping the direct line of fire.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I stretched the Polar Night into long tendrils and grabbed the parts that hadn’t merged with the wall.
“Yelp!”
When I yanked, the Hound of Tindalos was flung out into the open.
I concentrated Polar Night into a spear blade and pierced it. The creature thrashed wildly, flicking its tongue.
Who do you think you’re trying to lick?
Swish, swish, swish!
This time, blades erupted from beneath its feet and shredded the Hound of Tindalos’s body.
What made these creatures troublesome was their physical immunity, the lack of good long-range attack options, and their ability to slip through space.
“None of that works on me.”
When fused with the power of Polar Night, I had no blind spots.
Only when I manifested the full 130 worth of Polar Night would gaps appear.
Even then, I could recover the power quickly, leaving the Hounds of Tindalos with no opening to exploit.
-You’ve grown far more skilled.
Nyx sounded impressed.
Impressed by this much?
I still had a long way to go.
“If I don’t use the Dark Body, its practical combat value drops.”
The Polar Night I could normally manifest was only around 25.
It was enough to create variables in urgent battles, but nowhere near as powerful as Nyx herself.
This was a power I hadn’t obtained before my regression.
If possible, I wanted to reach Nyx’s level and make it one of my main abilities.
“Yelp!”
The Hounds of Tindalos tried to close the distance but were instead caught by Polar Night and dragged back.
“Now who’s the prey?”
“Grrrr…”
Being the one hunted must be driving them insane, huh?
Even so, the one-sided slaughter didn’t last forever.
A blue tongue wrapped around my forearm.
I could deflect physical strikes, but the creature was semi-corporeal.
It should have been impossible to touch me while I was fused with Polar Night, yet its tongue naturally seized me.
“Ugh.”
A low groan escaped me.
My mana burned, shaking my internals violently.
I sliced the hound’s tongue off with the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword. Blue blood spurted out.
The internal injuries couldn’t be healed with Mutation either.
If I mutated blood vessels or organs already damaged by Mana Burn, there was no telling what might happen.
I had no choice but to rely on my regeneration skill and the blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess.
Every time I advanced through the passage, more Hounds of Tindalos appeared.
The more battles I fought here, the sharper and more refined the power of Polar Night became.
“Hoo…”
I let out a short breath and leaned against the wall.
-Are you not overdoing it?
“I’m still fine.”
Fighting only with Polar Night was draining my mental strength.
The images of blades, spears, ropes, and tentacles were all created by my mind.
Thanks to dumping every spare stat into it, Polar Night would never run out—but it felt like my brain was about to overheat.
Still…
Were there always this many hounds here?
“Something feels off.”
-Does it differ from the records in the Necronomicon?
“Yeah. The hounds do hunt in packs, but they don’t swarm like this.”
Before my regression, I had entered Dreamland several times.
Although I never conquered the core of the demonic realm, I knew the place like the back of my hand—except for the center.
Yet the number of Hounds of Tindalos was far too high.
“I guess I should consider it lucky that I collected all their essences.”
◈ Skill Acquired: Time Prison
Time Prison
Rank: ★★★
Type: Active
Separates the user’s body from the flow of time and space, rendering them immune to all external influence.
The user cannot move from their position for 10 seconds.
*Cooldown: 30 days.
The characteristic of the Hounds of Tindalos that let them slip through spacetime.
Though the skill was named “prison,” it was far more useful for escaping danger than for trapping others.
Before my regression, this skill had saved my life multiple times.
It couldn’t completely evade attacks from Constellations or sacred relics, but against Tower missions or duels between players, it was practically invincible.
-Hoh, a skill that allows one to escape spacetime itself.
“I’d rather never have to use it.”
I gave a bitter smile.
A trump card was best left unused.
The more people knew about it, the more likely they were to prepare countermeasures.
I had experienced that truth before my regression.
How long had we been walking?
A faint light shimmered at the end of the long passage.
The path felt especially long today.
“Let’s get out of here quickly.”
-Indeed, let us.
The moment I broke into a run to exit the passage—
Rumble—!
A massive wall surged upward from the floor, completely sealing the exit.
-Contractor, was even this situation recorded in the Necronomicon?
“No.”
This wasn’t in my memories.
I frowned and scanned my surroundings.
A passage blocked on all sides.
The wall that had been covering the ceiling vanished, and instead, countless eyes appeared from within the clouds.
A voice that shook the soul.
I clenched my teeth.
Don’t tell me…
The reason there were far more Hounds of Tindalos than usual was…